Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

The Emperor Has New Clothes by Craig Liebenson

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, Aug 19, 2011 @ 21:08 PM

Who hasn’t heard one of these refrains “I brought my MRIs”; “I have a herniated disc so I can’t exercise”; “Don’t I need an MRI?” Educating patients about the importance of finding the painless dysfunction (Cook 2 or 3 score) is one of the cornerstones of modern management of musculoskeletal pain (MSP). Karel Lewit called it the “Functional Pathology of the Motor System”. Stuart McGill trumpets the need to make a “functional diagnosis”.  Our job as rehab & athletic development specialists is to help our patients/athletes to re-conceptualize their problem through a functional lens. This will open the door to a patient-centered goal driven approach powered by self-care methods that restore function. A win-win!

 

Click HERE to continuing reading Craig's latest blog post.

Topics: Basketball Related, Craig Liebenson

What the GIANTS are Reading - Brijesh Patel

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Jul 11, 2011 @ 07:07 AM

We asked what the Giants in Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, Basketball and Hockey performance training have read or are currently reading and we brought their list to you.  

Click HERE to view our recommended library with an ongoing list from these speakers who presented at the BSMPG "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants" 2011 summer seminar.

Brijesh Patel

Brijesh Patel

 

 

Topics: Basketball Related, basketball performance, basketball resources, athletic training conference, Brijesh Patel, athletic training books

What the GIANTS are Reading - Shirley Sahrmann

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, Jul 8, 2011 @ 07:07 AM

We asked what the Giants in Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, Basketball and Hockey performance training have read or are currently reading and we brought their list to you.  

Click HERE to view our recommended library with an ongoing list from these speakers who presented at the BSMPG "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants" 2011 summer seminar.

 

Shirley Sahrmann

Keynote Speakers Pete Viteritti and Shirley Sahrmann

 

Topics: Basketball Related, basketball conference, basketball training programs, athletic training conference, boston hockey conference, Shirley Sahrmann, Pete Viteritti, athletic training books

If You're Going To Work... by Seth Godin

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Jul 6, 2011 @ 07:07 AM

If you're going to work...

work hard.

That way, you'll have something to show for it.

The biggest waste is to do that thing you call work, but to interrupt it, compromise it, cheat it and still call it work.

In the same amount of time you can expend twice the effort and get far more in exchange.

 

Topics: Basketball Related, basketball performance, basketball resources, athletic training conference, athletic training

Which Of The Four Are Getting The Way? by Seth Godin

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Jun 20, 2011 @ 16:06 PM

Which of the four are getting the way?

You don't know what to do

You don't know how to do it

You don't have the authority or the resources to do it

You're afraid

Once you figure out what's getting in the way, it's far easier to find the answer (or decide to work on a different problem).

Stuck is a state of mind, and it's curable.

 

Topics: Basketball Related, Art Horne, basketball training programs, athletic training, Seth Godin

Updated Presentation - George Mumford - BSMPG Summer Seminar

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 @ 07:06 AM

We asked what the Giants in Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, Basketball and Hockey performance training have read or are currently reading and we brought their list to you.  

Click HERE to view our recommended library with an ongoing list from these speakers who presented at the BSMPG "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants" 2011 summer seminar.

Click HERE to view George Mumford's most updated presentation from this year's seminar.

Click HERE to view George Mumford's reference list from the above presentation.

 

George Mumford

2011 BSMPG speakers, Ray Eady and George Mumford

 

 

Topics: Basketball Related, Art Horne, basketball resources, basketball conference, athletic training conference, George Mumford

Headroom by Seth Godin

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, May 18, 2011 @ 07:05 AM

basketball resources

 

Headroom

The only thing worse than being able to say, "my boss won't let me," is having to acknowledge, "my boss will let me."

Over the last fifty years, the amount of headroom offered to white collar workers has dramatically increased. Piece work and time clocks have been replaced with self-policing and keep-your-own-calendar in many organizations. It's entirely possible to do very little, very often, particularly in a big company.

When we say, "my boss won't let me," what we're often saying is, "my boss wants great results, but she's not willing to let me take initiative without responsibility."

I'd be shocked if any smart boss took a different approach. Who's going to give you authority without responsibility?

Just about everyone I meet has far more ability to move up and to make an impact than it's easy or comfortable to admit. Once you do admit it, of course, you have to do something about it.

 

Topics: Basketball Related, basketball conference, athletic training conference, boston hockey summit, athletic training

BSMPG Partners With Stop Sports Injuries

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, May 11, 2011 @ 07:05 AM

basketball resources

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Keep Kids in the Game for Life Through the STOP Sports Injuries Campaign

Healthcare and, Business Leaders, and Professional Athletes Join Forces to Help Young Athletes Play Safe and Stay Healthy

Boston MA –– Today, leaders at The Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group are coming together with the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, National Athletic Trainers’ Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association and Safe Kids USA to promote the STOP Sports Injuries campaign. 

The campaign educates athletes, parents, trainers, coaches and healthcare providers about the rapid increase in youth sports injuries, the necessary steps to help reverse the trend and the need to keep young athletes healthy. The STOP Sports Injuries campaign highlights include teaching proper prevention techniques, discussing the need for open communication between everyone involved in young athletes’ lives, and encouraging those affected to sign The Pledge to be an advocate for sports safety. The campaign website and pledge are available at www.STOPSportsInjuries.org.

Sports injuries among young athletes are on the rise.  According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high school athletes, alone, account for an estimated two million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations every year. 

“BSMPG is committed to providing leaders in both Sports Medicine and Sports Performance the skills and information necessary to reduce the risk of youth sport injury during training and sport competition.”

- BSMPG Leadership Board

The high rate of youth sports injuries is fueled by an increase in overuse and trauma injuries and a lack of attention paid to proper injury prevention. According to the CDC, more than half of all sports injuries in children are preventable.

“Regardless of whether the athlete is a professional, an amateur, an Olympian or a young recreational athlete, the number of sports injuries is increasing – but the escalation of injuries in kids is the most alarming,” said Dr. James Andrews, former president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and STOP Sports Injuries Co-Campaign Chair.  “Armed with the correct information and tools, today’s young athletes can remain healthy, play safe, and stay in the game for life.”

Supporting the STOP Sports Injuries campaign are the country’s leading sports medicine organizations along with professional athletes and business leaders who have signed on as members of the campaign’s Council of Champions. This Council will help raise additional awareness about this growing epidemic of youth sports injuries.  Some of the founding members of the Council include former Olympic champions Christie Rampone, Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair, professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, MLB baseball player John Smoltz, NFL Hall of Fame defensive end, Howie Long, and Heisman Trophy winner and St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford.

 # # # 

The Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group was formed in 2007 and is comprised of a number of health care professionals, including  athletic trainers, strength coaches, and physicians, in and around the Boston area.  Our goal is to enable coaches, sports medicine professionals, and athletic training sp

Topics: Basketball Related, athletic training conference, boston hockey summit, boston hockey conference

The Flip Side by Seth Godin

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, May 6, 2011 @ 07:05 AM

 basketball resources

 

The flip side

It's impossible to have a coin with only one side. You can't have heads without tails.

Innovation is like that. Initiative is like that. Art is like that.

You can't have success unless you're prepared to have failure.

As soon as you say, "failure is not an option," you've just said, "innovation is not an option."

 
 

Topics: Basketball Related, basketball performance, basketball conference, athletic training conference, athletic training, boston hockey conference

The Problem With Problems

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, May 2, 2011 @ 07:05 AM

athletic training

 

If you look hard enough, everyone has problems. In the sports performance profession, problems provide easy targets for coaching, training, and interventions. Explicitly stated or not, problems make the physical therapist, athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and sport psychology consultants’ jobs easy. The athlete that needs to be “fixed” provides a clear target for intervention. The athlete that is pretty well-rounded without any glaring weaknesses can be a lot more intimidating to help. Easy targets for coaches and trainers however may not be what is best for the athlete.

This is not the only problem with problems however. Athletes pride themselves on their strength and abilities to intimidate and dominate. Few embrace being weak and even fewer enjoy being stigmatized as someone with a “problem.” This reality can lead to hesitancy on the path towards improvement. So many performance specialists slip into the trap of highlighting athlete weaknesses in efforts to advance an athlete’s training régime. Not a compelling sales pitch to someone whose self-image is enshrouded in strength.

Perhaps this problem with problems is best illuminated when considering development of one’s mental game. Too often working on one’s mental game is neglected because sport psychology may be seen as being for the mentally weak or mentally unbalanced. These perceptions are fair. Psychology (and much of medicine) has spent much of its history labeling illness and treating problems. Upon reflection however, one would be hard pressed to suggest that an athlete that gets a bit anxious when taking a penalty shot, walking the back nine of a major golf tournament, or toeing the foul line for a game tying free throw has a “problem.” Distraction, doubt, and stress are normal in the quest towards high performance. A motivated athlete would be remiss not to make deliberate efforts to develop one’s mental game. Presenting this work on one’s game as fixing “problems” or healing a wounded psyche certainly stigmatizes a necessary part of player development.

The problem with problems is not unique to the mental game however. Coaches and trainers that spend majority of their time reminding an athlete of his weaknesses rarely lead the athlete to commitment or excellence. It can be argued that the coach’s ego needs are fulfilled as the athlete with inadequacies cannot thrive without them. Yet the truth is, all athletes have one problem or another and regardless of these things they strive quite successfully. The most successful performance coach does not challenge the athlete’s desire of strong perceptions of self, but rather builds upon them… encouraging a normal human being to strive towards super-normal. Muscle imbalances are not a problem, but rather an opportunity to train for higher performance. Distracting performance anxiety is not a problem, but rather an opportunity to find a next level of mental fortitude. Poor cardio is not a problem, rather an opportunity to develop wire to wire dominance.

Injury that takes you out of practice for a while, depression that inhibits performance in the classroom and on the playing field, and clinical nutrition issues that sap wellness and energy are problems that need to be treated as such. A heavily problem-focused practice however loses athlete enthusiasm and misplaces the focus of training. Challenges to injury resistance, mental fortitude, and conditioning are opportunities for performance specialists to ply their crafts at the highest level. They are opportunities for the athlete to embrace the appropriate coaching and training necessary for finding one’s optimal potential.
Dr. Adam Naylor, CC-AASP. is the Director of the Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center (www.bu.edu/aec).  He has serves as a mental conditioning and player development resource for players at all stages of their sports career.  He can be reached contacted at adam@telos-spc.com.  Follow Dr. Naylor on Twitter @ahnaylor.

Topics: Basketball Related, Art Horne, Adam Naylor, basketball performance, basketball training programs, athletic training conference